San Francisco, CA
Castro Castle preserving SF's cannabis history facing uncertain future
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — From the outside, the bright exterior of the so-called Castro Castle might look like several homes in this notoriously colorful neighborhood.
But go inside, and you’ll experience a living piece of San Francisco history.
John Entwistle lives in the house he previously shared with his husband Dennis Peron.
Peron, who died in 2018, was a prominent cannabis activist.
In the 90s, he co-authored the proposition that would legalize medical marijuana in California, and ultimately became credited with changing the political debate about cannabis around the country.
Over the years, Entwistle and others have turned a portion of the home into a museum honoring Peron’s legacy.
MORE: A closer look at the state of CA’s cannabis industry: progress vs. ongoing challenges
“Showing some of the 50 years of struggle. From the dark days when they would put you in jail for 10 years for giving a guy two joints, to today where you can legally buy it in most cities in America,” Entwistle said.
But Entwistle says the museum is facing an uncertain future.
After years of living there, Entwistle – who doesn’t own the home – says it’s likely he’ll soon have to leave.
He says the owners are planning to sell.
As a result, he’s looking for a new home for the cannabis museum, something he calls an important piece of American and San Francisco history.
“People come here looking to find out this story. They want to find out what happened here. That is a big part of San Francisco history,” Entwistle said.
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Peron’s brother, Brian, supports Entwistle’s plan to preserve his brother’s legacy.
The pair tell me they’re hoping to ultimately move the museum into a space downtown. A place where visitors can learn about the history of cannabis and San Francisco’s role in changing how the nation views it.
“Dennis changed the face of marijuana. People used to think it was just a bunch of hippies. But then he showed that there were old people who needed it also and that it wasn’t just a recreational thing but it was a medicine,” Brian said.
While marijuana has been fully legal in California since 2016, Entwistle believes there’s still more work to be done in other parts of the country.
That’s why he’s hoping one day this collection will serve as a lesson in hope.
“That’s the goal, is to inspire more people to do more things to make the world a better place,” Entwistle said.
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San Francisco, CA
San Francisco man who sexually assaulted relatives gets 25-year prison sentence
A San Francisco man convicted of sexually assaulting two of his relatives was sentenced to a lengthy prison term, prosecutors announced Tuesday.
The San Francisco District Attorney’s Office said in a press release that a judge sentenced Sergio Alvarado, 60, to a total of 25 years and four months in state prison following his convictions.
A jury found Alvarado guilty of three counts of forcible rape and one count of forcible oral copulation for crimes that happened in 2014. He was also convicted of attempted forcible oral copulation on a minor and assault in a 2019 case involving a different victim.
Prosecutors said Alvarado sexually assaulted the first victim repeatedly over a period of several months. Several years later, Alvarado assaulted the other victim, a 16-year-old relative, in his car after he offered to drive her to a job interview, the DA’s Office said.
“Family violence occurs within ongoing relationships that are expected to be protective, supportive, and nurturing,” said Assistant District Attorney Sheila Johnson in a prepared statement. “Mr. Alvarado’s exploitation of that trust caused two generations of women profound psychological trauma. Hopefully, seeing him brought to justice restores their sense of humanity and sends the message that violence of this kind will not be tolerated.”
San Francisco, CA
Holiday travel at San Francisco airport being affected by winter weather
With rain and wind in the forecast, it may make some people’s holiday travel a little more difficult.
At San Francisco International Airport, more than 400 flights have been delayed. Maggie Nelson’s was delayed coming into the airport.
“It seemed like everyone was in a panic or a hurry to get anywhere,” said Nelson. “The plane was crowded. There was a lot of turbulence.”
Nelson flew in from Redmond, Oregon, usually a quick flight to SFO, just under two hours, but she ended up being delayed nearly that long.
“Originally, we were supposed to take off at 2 p.m. and then our flight got delayed to 2:50 p.m., and then it got delayed again,” Nelson explained. “I don’t think we took off until 3:30 p.m. because of high winds or something.”
California is in the middle of an intense storm period. Two systems bringing heavy rain and strong winds, and Nelson could feel all of it.
“The turbulence was pretty bad,” said Nelson. “There was a point where I got nauseous. I was like ‘Are we there yet? Is this over?’”
While she’s grateful to be on solid ground, Shon Alkaslasi was about to take off or at least try to.
“United sent a text that wind might affect operations,” said Alkaslasi.
He arrived early, just in case of holiday traffic, now he’s anticipating he may be delayed. He’s travelling home to Los Angeles, another area in the middle of the storms.
“I would say I’m not the biggest fan of turbulence so I am a little bit nervous about that,” Alkaslaski detailed. “But if they say it’s totally safe to travel, I’m not usually concerned but the feeling of bumps on a plane is just not the most comfortable and I’ll have to deal with it.”
Airport Duty Manager Crystal David said overall things haven’t been too bad, but West Coast flights, like Alkaslasi’s and Nelson’s, are the ones most likely to be impacted.
“SFO is on a ground delay program throughout the night, through midnight and so right now it’s about 127 minutes because of winds,” said David. “Mostly it’s the west coast flights are that are being affected right now with delays of up to 35 minutes for the west coast traffic.”
She said the delays could continue into the morning, when even stronger winds are expected. She recommends travelers check in with their airlines.
But for Nelson, she’s just glad she made it home.
“I used to live a lot closer so it’s a lot harder to come home now so when I do get to come home, I try to take advantage of that and appreciate it,” said Nelson.
San Francisco, CA
Executive chef of new buzzy San Francisco restaurant Bourbon Steak visits ABC7
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — ABC7 got in the holiday spirit Monday with the executive chef of San Francisco’s buzziest restaurants that just opened in October — to a lot of fanfare.
We’re talking about Bourbon Steak, inside the Westin St. Francis Hotel.
Legendary celebrity chef Michael Mina’s latest opening brings him back to San Francisco, and everyone came to celebrate: a cable car, Mayor Daniel Lurie, and Warriors superstar Stephen Curry — a partner in this venture who created the bourbon bar Eighth Rule inside the restaurant.
But they’re not just about style. They are first and foremost about steaks.
Because they are on the menu for so many holiday gatherings, we are delighted that Bourbon Steak executive chef Kevin Schantz joined us on ABC7’s “Midday Live.”
Watch the full interview in the player above.
If you’re on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live
Copyright © 2025 KGO-TV. All Rights Reserved.
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